Thanks to the rise of sports betting and prediction markets, gambling has turned from an activity sequestered to casinos and scratch tickets into something that practically anybody with an internet connection can dive into headfirst — something that has experts warning of a surge in gambling addiction, especially among young, impressionable minds.
Platforms like Polymarket mean that gamblers are no longer limited to betting their hard-earned cash on red or black during a game of roulette or mindlessly pulling the lever of a slot machine — now they can bet on whether Jesus Christ will return before the long-awaited release of the video game “GTA VI,” or by what date the United States will strike Iran.
And now, a new gambling game called Rush Hour CCTV on the crypto casino platform Roobet is taking the phenomenon to an even more ludicrous conclusion. As casino publication Win.gg points out, gamblers there are betting on how many cars, trucks, buses, motorcycles, or pedestrians are crossing a specific point within a predetermined time period on a street in live, licensed CCTV footage being streamed from big cities, including Tokyo, Bangkok, New York, and London.
It may sound banal — and it many ways it is — but instead of relying on traditional random number generator mechanics (RNG) that determine the outcome in slot machines, the new game relies on the real world instead.
The game is deceptively simple. Each round kicks off with a simple message: “How many vehicles?”
Gamblers can then bet on how many vehicles will cross a point within the next 55 seconds. They can also give a range as an answer, which will give a significantly lower payout than guessing the exact number.
It’s a dystopian glimpse into a largely unregulated crypto gambling world. Even in China, where online gambling — including crypto-based prediction markets like Polymarket — is illegal, the trend has surged in popularity. As Rest of World reports, the company has been hiring Mandarin-speaking staff, with trading volumes across Asia hitting “hundreds of millions” of dollars a month.
Crypto casinos like Roobet, which is hosting Rush Hour CCTV, have seen revenues surge despite widespread bans. Users have been using virtual private networks, mirror links, and redirecting URLs to get around restrictions.
Crypto gambling market reached an estimated $81 billion last year, according to Bitcoin.com, and analysts predict this year will be no different, in large part thanks to the proliferation of stablecoins, which are often pegged to far more stable fiat currencies.
Meanwhile, popular streamers are roping in new users, enticing them with simple crypto casino games. Even underage users can circumvent restrictions by using false identities, as the New York Times reported last year.
Online celebrities — including renowned music artists like Aubrey “Drake” Graham and Calvin “Snoop Dogg” Broadus — are gambling during livestreams, effectively encouraging fans to get hooked themselves.
Whether regulators will step up to the plate to ensure that trend won’t turn into a crisis remains unclear. The Trump administration has been particularly amenable, stacking regulatory committees with CEOs of prediction markets, crypto companies, and sports betting apps.
In other words, chances are that even more young people will be enticed to bet on how many vehicles will pass by in CCTV footage.
Worse yet, awareness of the risks of gambling addiction is lagging far behind.
“We can’t keep up with the most popular streamers that are on the internet,” Queens Problem Gambling Resource Center team leader Robin Singh told the NYT last year. “That’s the problem, unfortunately, that the issue spreads way faster than the solution does.”
More on gambling: Prediction Markets Are Sucking Huge Numbers of Young People Into Gambling
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